As a signatory to the Vienna Declaration and the Montreal Protocol (MP), Jordan is committed to the complete phasing out of regulated substances under the MP and its amendments. The first country program... Show More + under the MP established that Jordan’s consumption in 1991 was 789 metric tons. In this context the ODS Phase-Out I program was initiated which then identified further enterprises, raising annual consumption to 1,000 metric tons. The ODS II project evolved out of this finding to continue with Jordan’s commitments under the MP.SolutionODS II was closely modeled on ODS I and focused on financing technology transfer relating to production conversions to non-ODS processes and equipment at ODS-consuming enterprises as well as a focus on building capacity in relevant agencies.ResultsThe project succeeded in completely ending imports of CFCs and halon. This was due to the elimination of demand for CFCs and halon by converting manufacturing capacity to alternative technologies at over 40 enterprises through 14 subprojects – a cumulative phase out of 1,109 ODP tons of CFCs and halon. The new technologies and equipment acquired by these enterprises also enhanced the competitiveness of these firms. Also replaced were 20 CFC-based chillers in Jordan, eliminating the last major source of demand used in servicing. Fifteen chillers were replaced under the sub-project and five were replaced prior to the approval of the Global Chiller Replacement project. The project was able to thereby leverage US$2.3 million from the private sector—a leveraging ratio of 2:1. Under the Project Implementation Capacity Development component the Ministry of Environment and the National Ozone Unit introduced and further sharpened ODS-related laws and regulations to fully meet Jordan’s MP obligations.Bank Group ContributionThe project was funded at a total of US$5.6 million by the World Bank’s Ozone Projects Trust Fund (OTF) which channels approved funds from the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol. Show Less -

The Gulf of Gabes—a Mediterranean zone with important biological resources and rich coastal, marine and freshwater ecosystems—is particularly exposed to anthropogenic factor (including overfishing and... Show More + seabed trawling and wastewater pollution from urban and industrial sources) altering its natural features. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the Tunisian Government, fully aware of the potential and the challenges of this zone, had stressed the importance of adopting a pragmatic and integrated approach to safeguard natural resources, including land and water conservation, mitigating ongoing or potential threats to biodiversity, and addressing social and environmental concerns, while contributing to better harmonizing planning with other investment programs and projects.SolutionThe project intended to contribute to safeguarding natural resources including land and water conservation and to increasing the benefits of other large public sector investment programs in urban wastewater treatment, industrial pollution control, improved urban management, tourism development, and fisheries. The project was also clearly addressing the requirements of the two key pillars of the GEF: (a) biodiversity conservation in protected areas; and (b) biodiversity mainstreaming in production through integrated approaches to development.ResultsThe overarching objective of the project was to develop a long-term strategy for an integrated approach to biodiversity protections that addresses scientific, social and economic issues. An important and comprehensive baseline inventory and mapping of most of the Posidonia seagrass areas and marine plant cover in the Gulf of Gabes was prepared. In addition, management plans were prepared for the Gulf of Boughrara, the Kneiss Island, the Lagoon (Bahiret) El Bibane and the Kerkennah Islands, as well as a management plan for the Gabes Oasis. Finally, a GIS and Information Exchange Center was established. The Government noted that “the project supported the elaboration of important plans and strategies for an integrated management of the biodiversity of the Golf of Gabes ecosystem and of selected pilot sites with significant natural potential”. The sustained nature of the intervention was underlined by noting that “these plans should be implemented in a short, medium and long term”.Bank Group ContributionThe total cost of the project was estimated at US$9.81 million, of which US$6.31 was funded by a grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and managed by the World Bank, with approximately US$3 million financed by the Government of Tunisia. PartnersThe project was a partnership between the Bank (IBRD) and Global Environment Facility, and key to rapidly launching activities to protect biodiversity that might not have been funded as a short-term budget priority, and support decentralized participatory management plans to protect biodiversity of global value that would not have been part of the Government priority activities.Moving ForwardKey project activities had been designed to continue after project completion, with replication in Tunisia and elsewhere in the Mediterranean region, including: (a) implementation of management plans at other pilot sites, (b) identification of other sea grass areas in the Gulf to be managed with the biodiversity principles and monitoring techniques piloted during the project; and (c) application of participatory approaches. The project lessons and achievements contributed to subsequent projects including the Second Natural Resources Management Project, as well as a number of water-related projects such as the Northern Tunis Wastewater Project and Second Water Sector Investment Project.BeneficiariesThe project was designed to directly benefit communities that exploit coastal marine resources at the various sites chosen, comprising first and foremost fishermen, farmers in the Gabes oasis, local NGOs active in the development and environmental protection sector, local professional organizations, local authorities, and the tourism and hotel sector (particularly in the Jerba-Zarzis area). Show Less -

Despite being a predominantly rural country—with 68% of its total population living in rural areas—where irrigated agriculture remains the main economic activity, and source of income and employment, Yemen... Show More + was undergoing a rapid dwindling of its groundwater resources. Per capita availability of water was 115 m3 per year, compared to 1,250 m3 in MNA countries, while the rest of the world relied on an average of 7,500 m3. If nothing was done, this already low water availability would gradually be reduced to an unsustainable 65 m3 per year by 2031. Moreover, farmers had no, or barely any, on-farm water management practices that could help minimize consumption. Therefore, the depletion of groundwater directly impacted poverty, employment and social order. SolutionThe Groundwater and Soil Conservation Project was intended to assist the Government of Yemen (GOY) in promoting groundwater conservation in farming areas, and increasing surface and groundwater availability. The project aimed at improving irrigation water use efficiency, thus increasing farmer returns to water and creating the conditions that would allow farmers to reduce groundwater pumping from aquifers. It also focused on improving recharge and protection of watersheds in order to increase surface and groundwater availability. Another emphasis of the project was on supporting the groundwater management framework and institutions to provide the incentive and capacity to manage local water resources in a sustainable manner.ResultsMany of the farmers assisted by the project have received substantial benefits, which helped to reduce costs and improve yields. Smaller farmers received a higher rate of subsidy, while subsidies for larger farmers were limited by an area ceiling. Besides saving more than 80 million cubic meters (MCM) of groundwater per year, the project investments resulted in significantly improved levels of family incomes for project beneficiaries, increasing from 13.8 to 27% over the previous levels. Additionally, the economic rate of return (ERR) increased from 16.6% at project appraisal to 36.4%. Furthermore, the net present value (NPV) reached Yemeni Rial (YR) 13.7 billion (US$62.3 million) as opposed to YR 2.27 billion at appraisal. The production increase of benefited farms and the reduction in production costs (mainly from the reduction of groundwater pumping by 16%) resulted in a 43% increase of the pumped water productivity (from YR 53 of net value of production per cubic meter of water pumped to YR 76).Bank Group ContributionA total amount of US$54.2 million was disbursed out of an IDA credit of US$40.0 million and an Additional IDA credit of US$15.0 million to complete the project. In addition to this, US$1.1 million was provided from Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) to support three pilot schemes which successfully demonstrated sustainable management of groundwater resoruces by communities.PartnersThe project was implemented by the project coordination unit (PCU) established under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. Under the PCU, 10 field units were established to carry out day-to-day supervision of the project activities in the selected governorates. Sanaa University participated in the project as an implementing agency for JSDF-funded activities. Through the implementation of this project, the Bank played a leading role in irrigation and water resources management in Yemen and led the discussion of the National Water Sector Strategy and Investment Program with the Government in collaboration with other development partners (GIZ, KfW, Netherlands, and JICA).Moving ForwardThe project was scaled up by additional financing of US$15 million. Moreover, the project was followed by the Water Sector Support Project of US$90 million loan as a nationwide project cofinanced with KfW and the Netherlands.BeneficiariesThe project promoted bucket type drip irrigation by women for home garden vegetable farming to increase nutrition of poor families. This aspect of the project was later taken up by a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project. For piped conveyance systems, 94% of farmers reported increased incomes, and 80% reported increased incomes for localized on-farm irrigation systems. On average, farmers saved 46% in pumping costs, 39% in diesel fuel, and 54% in labor. A few farmers—4% for piped conveyance and 9% for localized on-farm irrigation systems—indicated that the project had a positive impact on groundwater levels. In relation to sustainability, farmers have already started maintaining the piped and localized on-farm irrigation systems by themselves. In terms of long term impact, a problem solving partnership has developed with farmers, particularly with regards to the piped conveyance systems. Farmers felt the main benefits were in reduced labor, increased yields, and water savings, with even stronger impacts for the localized on-farm irrigation systems. Show Less -

Morocco’s electricity demand was increasing rapidly at 8% per year due to strong economic growth, a growing population and successful policies for increasing electricity access. Despite intensified electricity... Show More + conservation and demand side management (DSM) efforts, electricity demand was expected to continue growing at that rate for the foreseeable future. Moreover, the country was largely dependent on imported fossil fuels for power generation due to lack of endogenous resources. Morocco’s total energy bill had increased from US$ 3 billion in 2004 to US$ 4.2 billion in 2005 due to the rise in the prices of oil and coal. To reduce this dependence, the Government sought to diversify the country’s energy mix with a larger use of natural gas and renewable energies. Although Morocco had already commissioned its first gas-fired combined cycle power plant at Tahaddart in 2005 and had a few wind and hydro projects, it had no experience on utility-scale solar technology.SolutionThe Global Environment Facility (GEF) had identified solar thermal power technology as one of its priorities because of the technology’s significant cost reduction potential. The GEF and the Bank built a portfolio of four demonstration projects to facilitate the commercialization of solar thermal technology under GEF’s Operational Program “Reducing the long-term costs of low greenhouse-gas emitting technologies”. The objective was to contribute to the global learning of the technology in order to drive down its costs to commercially competitive levels through economies of scale and innovation. The Moroccan Government seized the opportunity offered by the GEF support program to cover the incremental cost of an expensive solar thermal technology to access the country’s unexploited solar resources. The Bank fully supported GEF’s strategic objective to reduce, over the long term, the costs of low-carbon energy technologies.ResultsThe project was the first of its kind in the world and contributed to the demonstration of a new non-carbon emitting technology in Morocco coupled to a combined-cycle gas-fired plant to fulfill the rapidly increasing electricity demand in the country at least cost.In terms of environmental benefits, the Ain Beni Mathar plant achieved a reduction of 22,988 tons of CO2 in 2012, only 5.4% lower than the target value[1].In terms of power generation, the ISCC's yearly generation of electricity was 3,370 GWh in 2012, representing 11 % of the country’s total electricity. The Ain Beni Mathar plant produced 39 GWh of solar-generated electricity, only 2.5% lower than the target value. The solar output as a percentage of total electricity produced by the ISCC power plant was 1.2 % in 2012, reaching its target value.In terms of dissemination of lessons learned, ONEE reached all targets between October 2010 and December 2012, such as: 20 ONEE staff were trained in ISCC technologyOver 440 citizens visited the Ain Beni Mathar plantThe project was presented in over 91 workshops and conferencesONEE posted technical information about the project on its website for the publicIn terms of social development, the project had very positive impacts on the neighboring communities and the local economy, mostly during construction. These impacts can be summarized as follows:Creation of 740 direct jobs during construction (240 non-qualified workers of the nearby town of Ain Beni Mathar and nearly 500 qualified workers from other parts of Morocco) and 50 after commissioning (October 2010) for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) work. Bank Group ContributionThe World Bank provided technical assistance and managed the overall project. The total cost of the project was US$544 million including US$43.2 million in grant financing from the GEF, two loans from the African development Bank (AfDB) for a total of US$371.8 million and a loan of US$ 129 million from Spain’s Instituto de Credito Official (ICO).PartnersThe project was a partnership between the Bank (IBRD), Global Environment Facility (GEF), African Development Bank (AfDB) and ONEE (Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (Morocco’s National Electricity and Water Utility)), which required strong coordination. All co-financiers participated in the financing of one single contract for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of the 472 MW ISCC plant. The US$ 43.2 million GEF grant mobilized by the Bank (2007) covered the incremental cost of the solar field. The AfDB was the main co-financier with one loan of Euro 136.45 million (2005) and another of Euro 151.14 million (2008), totaling Euro 287.8 million. In 2009, ONEE also obtained a loan of Euro 100 million from Spain’s State-owned financial agency, “Instituto de Crédito Official (ICO)”.Moving ForwardSince project closing in December 2012, the World Bank Group continued to support Morocco’s efforts to promote solar energy as a central component of its electricity supply and its global contribution to a low carbon economy. At present, the Bank is providing support to the recently created Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) to develop a 500 MW solar complex near the city of Ouarzazate in southern-central Morocco (first phase of 160 MW to be commissioned in 2015). The Bank will also facilitate a South-South exchange between Mexico and Morocco in June 2014 to allow Mexican officials in charge of a similar GEF-financed project in Agua Prieta -under construction- to visit the Ain Beni Mathar plant and learn from the successful Moroccan experience.BeneficiariesThe project had very positive social development impact on the neighboring communities and the local economy. The project (i) provided further electricity supply to the local community, (ii) stimulated local economy, (iii) improved the standard of living in the community, (iv) opened up several hamlets near the plant that did not have road access, and (v) created jobs. Moreover, the town of Ain Beni Mathar near the project site has benefited from tax revenues paid by ONEE to the municipality in concept of licenses.[1] This value corresponds to the reductions of CO2 emissions (tons) in 2012, i.e. 0.59 (emissions coefficient) * 38,963 MWhe (solar field generation). This value is slightly lower than target because energy production from solar field was lower than the projected value due to a 12% lower Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) than initially estimated. Show Less -

Bank Group ContributionThe overall WB biodiversity portfolio of 245 projects in the ten years from FY2004 to 2013 included direct biodiversity commitments worth over US$ 1 billion. Of this, 27 percent... Show More + came from GEF funds, while 69 percent came from IBRD/IDA. These projects have taken place in 74 countries in all six of the WBG’s regions. Most projects were in the Africa and in the Latin America and Caribbean regions, which between them accounted for more than two thirds of biodiversity projects. In 2013, new biodiversity commitments amounted to US$ 35 million relatively low compared to previous years, but the current pipeline contains projects worth US$ 269 million.PartnersGlobal and regional partnerships are playing an important role in promoting biodiversity conservation. Some of the key partnerships are as follows:The Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF) has brought together the governments of France and Japan together with the MacArthur Foundation, the European Commission and Conservation International, and awarded grants to over 1,600 civil society organizations to reduce threats to 21 critically endangered hotspots.The Global Tiger Initiative launched in 2008 has helped strengthen political ownership by the 13 tiger countries of their endangered tiger populations.The Save our Species (SOS) program seeks to leverage private sector engagement for funding for threatened species and has provided support to 75 species across 34 countries to date.The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime is a collaborative effort of five inter-governmental organizations to bring coordinated support to national wildlife law enforcement agencies and sub-regional networks. Moving ForwardGoing forward, Bank investments in biodiversity will build on our comparative advantage as an institution that sets the benchmark for public development finance globally. The World Bank’s leadership and coordinating role within the donor community, complemented by access to trust funds and lending resources, can help mainstream biodiversity within national agendas as a critical part of sustainable development.Four areas of emphasis have emerged from our decades of experience investing in biodiversity and ecosystem services:(1) addressing policy failures through the design and application of new tools (e.g. to implement natural capital accounting), financing instruments (especially Development Policy Operations (DPOs), and partnerships (e.g. Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services or WAVES);(2) strengthening governance and the role of public sector agencies in partnership with the private sector and civil society, focusing in particular on improving systems of governance and institution-building;(3) building resilience through investments in biodiversity and ecosystem services across landscapes in close collaboration with other sectors, particularly through the use of land-use planning, moving beyond sector silos, and mainstreaming the use of green infrastructure to reduce the exposure of physical and social capital to external shocks; and(4) reducing governments’ exposure to volatile boom-and-bust financing by creating, piloting and mainstreaming financial mechanisms that enable long-term investment in nature and create financial flows from biodiversity and ecosystem services.Beneficiaries“Training on navigation is used quite a lot during patrols. We’ve also been able to use training in the arrest of suspects through ambushes and takedowns. We’ve also found training in reconnaissance and first aid to be very helpful as well,” remarked Salak Chairacha, Enforcement Ranger Patrol Team Leader, TLNP. “It’s been a rigorous process but the long-term engagement of SOS over two years has meant we could take the time to build the formal partnerships and relationships we needed. Now we have a strong foundation for the future,” says Mr. Brad Rutherford, Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Trust. The community programmes launched with SOS support are being recognised as a key part of Pakistan’s strategy for meeting its national snow leopard survival objectives as well as the goals set by the Global Snow Leopard Forum. Show Less -

Bank Group ContributionOver the past decade, the Bank (IBRD/IDA) committed funding for US$33 billion, from which IDA’s contribution was US$7.7 billion (23 percent) to support investment in environment... Show More + and natural resource management (ENRM). By far, climate change has been the fastest growing ENRM area where the Bank is supporting client countries. Other areas that have significantly expanded in the last five years are environmental policy and institutions, and water resource management. As for the types of funding provided over the decade, development policy lending accounted for 30 percent and investment lending 70 percent of the Bank’s ENRM portfolio. The trend is in favor of development policy lending that increased to 33% of the ENRM portfolio in the last five years (FY09-13).In addition to funding ENRM projects directly, IDA has leveraged additional funds through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other agencies and organizations. Specifically, the GEF provides grants to IDA countries to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.PartnersAn important lesson learned is that partners are essential to face the environmental challenge because the agenda is huge and beyond the means of any single institution. Partnerships with multilateral funds such as the GEF and the Climate Investment Funds have focused on global and trans-boundary environmental issues. Close partnerships with civil society organizations have allowed a greater focus on biodiversity and social accountability in particular. Other trust funds have focused on key subsectors, such as the Program on Forests (PROFOR) or the Global Program on Sustainable Fisheries (ProFISH). Partnerships with the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have allowed the Bank to broaden its analytical base. Perhaps most important, through the Climate Investment Funds the multilateral development banks are working in collaboration and demonstrating scaled-up climate action. Because the private sector plays a key role in creating jobs and technological development, it can contribute to sustainable development in ways that complement the public sector. Public-private partnerships are likely to continue growing in the near future because they are essential for achieving sustainable development in a fiscally constrained world. Moving Forward As the world becomes increasingly urbanized and the global population expands ever closer to 9 billion, the World Bank’s focus on improving environmental sustainability and building resilience to climate change will remain as strong as ever. Building on progress since the 2012 Environment Strategy, the Bank’s work will continue to focus on: • Climate change by increasing support to countries for low-carbon development efforts, and climate-smart agriculture, improving access of client countries to renewable energy, and incorporating climate-related disaster risk into development planning.• Biodiversity by strengthening client countries’ systems to protect biodiversity and combat illegal wildlife trade and wildlife crime.• Improving environmental decision-making by supporting countries to build institutions and enhance their capacity for environmental management, including efforts to improve generation of environmental and natural resources information so that countries are better equipped to make informed decisions. Through the WAVES partnership, the Bank will continue to support countries to incorporate environmental considerations into their national accounts. • Fighting pollution and improving environmental health by strengthening environmental health valuation analysis, enhancing environmental governance frameworks and policy tools, addressing environmental legacies, and improving nutrient management and control of agricultural run-off.• Oceans by supporting countries to improve management of fisheries, protect critical ocean and coastal habitat and reduce sources of pollution entering waterways and oceans. BeneficiariesIn 2009, the fishery in Ngaparou in Senegal was on the brink of collapse due largely to a combination of over-fishing from artisanal fishing and added pressure of semi-industrial fishing vessels further offshore. Every year, fewer and fewer fishermen were able to support themselves and feed their families.The World Bank has been supporting West African governments since 2009 in their efforts to better manage the region’s rich natural resources through its West Africa Regional Fisheries Program (WARFP). The WARFP has supported Ghana, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal. The program supports a combination of regional cooperation, national reforms and local education and empowerment to help West African countries work together to manage their shared resources.“In the beginning, the main objective was restoration of our fish,” says Issa Sagne, President of the Local Committee of Fishers of Ngaparou (CLP). “Now, the fish are really abundant. We know when people from other villages are fishing illegally in our area when they try to sell very large fish that can only be found here now.” Show Less -

Bank Group ContributionSince 2008, the Bank Group has provided $48.6 billion for energy projects, with $24 billion from IBRD, and $11.4 billion from IDA. Of the total Bank Group financing, $12.4 billion—25.6... Show More + percent—was for renewable energy projects and programs, reflecting the determination of many countries to seek lower-carbon energy solutions. Energy efficiency, and transmission and distribution accounted for nearly one-third of energy financing. About 16 percent of the portfolio since 2008 is devoted to fossil fuel projects. PartnersThe Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative, co-chaired by UN-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, is a global coalition of governments, private sector, civil society and international organizations that aims to achieve three goals by 2030: 1) Universal access to electricity and modern cooking solutions, 2) Double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency, reducing the compound annual growth rate of energy intensity to -2.6%.3) Doubling the amount of renewable energy in the global energy mix from its current share of 18% to 36% and Since 2012, some 80 partner countries from the developing world have signaled their commitment to SE4ALL.Existing investments in energy totaling about $409 billion a year need to be increased by an additional $600-800 billion every year till 2030 to achieve the above goals. Specifically, that is $45 billion more for electricity expansion, $4.4 billion more for cooking solutions, $394 billion for energy efficiency, and $174 billion for renewable energy. These estimates are in a Global Tracking Framework for the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, produced in 2013 by a team of experts from 15 agencies co-led by the World Bank Group and the International Energy Agency In addition to its leadership role in the corporate governance of the initiative, and the on-going US$7 billion annual lending program, the WBG is contributing to the three overall objectives through a number of additional initiatives:The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) is a global knowledge and technical assistance program administered by the World Bank. ESMAP provides analytical and advisory services to low- and middle-income countries to increase their know-how and institutional capacity to achieve environmentally sustainable energy solutions for poverty reduction and economic growth. ESMAP is funded by Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, as well as the World Bank. The WBG in partnership with ESMAP will provide SE4ALL Technical Assistance for the preparation of Investment Prospectuses in 10 of the 80 SE4ALL partner countries to identify critical energy projects and help to facilitate the associated financing. ESMAP will also support the Global Geothermal Development Plan, Renewable Energy Mapping program and Energy Efficient Cities InitiativeThe World Bank-led Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) initiative is a public-private partnership that brings together representatives from major oil-producing countries and companies. The GGFR aims to minimize the flaring of natural gas associated with oil production by fostering critical collaboration between governments and industry so together they can address policy challenges and specific project implementation. These efforts are starting to pay off. Since 2005, flaring of gas has dropped worldwide by almost 20 percent, preventing over 270 million tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent roughly to taking some 52 million cars off the road. GGFR will step up flaring reduction efforts over next four years to improve the efficiency of the energy supply industry.Lighting Africa is a joint IFC and World Bank program that works towards improving access to better lighting in areas not yet connected to the electricity grid. Lighting Africa catalyzes and accelerates the development of sustainable markets for affordable, modern off-grid lighting solutions for low-income households and micro-enterprises across the continent. Lighting Asia and Global LEAP (Lighting and Energy Access Partnership) will build on Lighting Africa success in providing solar lanterns as a first step toward access.Moving ForwardThe 2013 Energy Sector Directions Paper articulates the Bank’s strategic priority for the energy sector as providing the affordable, reliable and sustainable energy needed to end poverty and boost shared prosperity. The Bank’s engagement in energy is guided by five key principles: 1) to ground our client country engagement in a holistic – long term system wide – view of power sector requirements; 2) to work towards improvements in the financial, operational and institutional environment in the sector; 3) to seek market solution and foster private sector investment; 4) to embrace a multi-stakeholder inclusive approach to energy projects; 5) to tailor interventions to individual country circumstances.The World Bank continues to share leadership with the UN of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative to achieve the three SE4All goals. The levers in achieving this target would be partnership with The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, Global LEAP and the Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership. Show Less -

Bank Group ContributionThe World Bank and Bank-managed trust funds are increasingly supporting initiatives to rebuild the ocean’s natural capital. Many of the Bank’s investments in the oceans over the... Show More + last five years promote the sustainable governance of marine fisheries, the establishment of coastal and marine protected areas, and integrated coastal resource management. The World Bank’s active ‘blue growth’ portfolio comprises activities worth US$6.4 billion. This amount includes fisheries management, habitat conservation including integrated coastal zone management, pollution reduction and water resource management.Partners The Bank has been working with dozens of partners to increase investment in healthy oceans. In support of this, the Bank has participated in many numbers of ocean events for both technical and political purposes, raising both the profile and reach of our work, while also contributing to broader ocean community engagement. In addition to bilateral partnerships, the following collectives are in current practice: • The Global Program for Fisheries (PROFISH), created in 2005, is a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank to support governance reforms for sustainable fisheries. PROFISH works with a range of partners, including the FAO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), WorldFish, development organizations, and the private sector.• The Alliance for Responsible Fisheries (ALLFISH), established in 2009 as a public-private partnership by the seafood industry, works with the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations, FAO, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to promote responsible fisheries and aquaculture.• The Strategic Partnership for Fisheries in Africa is a partnership to promote sustainable fisheries in Africa. It is led by the African Union, with support from FAO and the World Wildlife Fund, and with financing from Bank-managed GEF funds.• The Capturing Coral Reef and Related Ecosystem Services partnership aims to capture the value of coral reef ecosystem services through support for eco-enterprises linked to green markets, and other incentives to encourage investment in their protection.• The Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Program (ABJN) aims to improve global sustainable fisheries management and biodiversity conservation with partners including the GEF, the FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Ocean Forum.• 50in10 is a collaboration initiated by over 30 organizations to achieve a 10-year target to bring 50 percent of fisheries and the global catch under sustainable management while increasing economic benefits by US$20 billion annually.Moving Forward A healthy ocean is fundamental to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. The opportunity that comes from addressing the challenges to a healthy ocean, and the benefits that countries stand to gain, such as rebuilding fish stocks and expanding sustainable aquaculture, restoring the productivity of key coastal habitats, and reducing the threats from pollution, is fundamental to the development mandate of the World Bank. Efforts to date by the Bank, as well as the large number of other organizations supporting healthier oceans, have been insufficient to capture this opportunity. A coordinated global effort is needed to improve the health of the world’s oceans and the benefits they provide to the global economy and human welfare. Through our ability to convene a diversity of partners and stakeholders, and to mobilize public investment for governance reforms, the World Bank is uniquely positioned to foster and build an unprecedented global partnership to improve ocean health and support people who depend so dearly upon it. Supporters and Beneficiaries “It’s been a while since we’ve had lots of fish coming in. Everything is hard now.” –Kismiyah, Fish Seller, Bali, Indonesia“If the ocean is destroyed, it would be like destroying us because our well-being and wealth are contained within the ocean.” –Alia Ambrau, Community Leader, Papua, Indonesia“The ocean and food security are of course very much linked … particularly on coastal fisheries. When proper management is in place, the resource will recover.” –Fatima Ferdouse, Chief, Trade Promotion Division, Infofish“Liberia pledges to do all within its power to develop and implement the GPO.” –Florence Chenoweth, Minister of Agriculture, Liberia“We need technical assistance and more importantly efficient access to financing sources.” –Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat“Probably what impressed me most is that every member of this group was prepared to put aside their differences to work towards solutions to the problems affecting our oceans. Just goes to show what could be possible on the scale of the GPO.” –John Tanzer, Director WWF Global Marine Programme“Whether or not we are from continental countries or island nations, we are indeed joined by the oceans.” –Lisel Alamilla, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development, Belize“I am confident that this partnership, together with existing initiatives will promote an integrated approach, and will go beyond national borders and jurisdictions.” –President Anote Tong of Kiribati Show Less -

ChallengeAlthough limited data impedes knowledge of the full picture, poverty and human conditions in Iraq worsened in the 1990s and have not improved considerably in recent years. Iraq has a very... Show More + low employment rate, only38 percent in 2008, and women especially have very few economic opportunities. The public sector employs 32 percent of all working Iraqi adults and the job creating capacity of the hydrocarbons sector is limited. Continued volatility in oil prices is also a clear reminder of Iraq’s dependence on oil revenues, and underlines the need for economic diversification.Despite its abundant oil resources, Iraq lacks the capacities to use the revenues from oil for the maximum benefit of its population. Iraq’s oil wealth alone cannot generate sustainably high living standards for the majority of its population. The government will need to use the revenues from oil to ensure that the country’s infrastructure is reconstructed and people benefit from better social services. With the prospect of an oil boom, the government now has the opportunity to take concrete actions in this regard.Weak public and private institutions, coupled with a predominantly statist approach, hinder Iraq’s emergence as a modern, vibrant economy. Conditions need to be created to enable Iraq’s private sector to come into its own and institutions need to be strengthened and new ones created to unleash the mutually reinforcing forces that would underpin a long-run economic resurgence. Fiscal institutions need to embed practices of good economic management and long-term fiscal planning, and strong regulatory institutions free of entrenched networks of patronage will be vital.Service delivery continues to be unreliable. Only 52 percent of people whose houses are connected to the public water network report that their water supply is stable. For electricity, only 22.4 percent can rely solely on the public network for their housing units. Overall, Iraq’s poverty headcount index stands at 22.9 percent. In rural areas, the poverty rate is 39.3 percent, more than twice the 16.1 percent rate in urban areas. Social assistance in Iraq has been mainly confined to the public distribution system (PDS) and cash-based safety nets, and has often failed to reach the poorest due to poor targeting.SolutionThe Bank has sought to respond to Iraqi priorities and to adjust its support as these priorities changed. Since re-engagement, three Interim Strategy Notes have framed Bank support for Iraq. Initially the Bank’s emphasis was on emergency investment operations to improve infrastructure and service delivery in water, education, health and to support the private sector. Subsequently, this was combined with various types of institution strengthening activities in select ministries. Technical assistance became an important instrument for Bank engagement in areas such as public financial management, social protection and policies for poverty reduction, and pension reform. Technical assistance priorities were often informed by the findings of related Economic Sector Work (ESW) and Analytical and Advisory Activities (AAA), such as the 2008 Iraq Household Socio-Economic Survey Tabulation Report and the Public Expenditure and Institutional Assessments and Financial Sector Assessment performed in 2011. For the next three years, Bank support will be under the aegis of the first World Bank Group Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Iraq that was presented to the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on December 18, 2012. Recognizing that Iraq’s main challenge is to leverage its own vast public resources and build effective public and private institutions to create jobs and deliver services, the CPS aims to support government efforts to implement its own National Development Strategy. The program of support is organized around three pillars: (i) improving governance; (ii) supporting economic diversification for broadly shared prosperity; and (iii) improving social inclusion and reducing poverty. The CPS includes the existing portfolio, new Bank investment, analytical and advisory assistance, and reimbursable technical assistance.ResultsBank supported projects have contributed to Iraq’s reconstruction efforts by financing investments, strengthening government capacity, and providing advisory services and analytic work critical to supporting Iraq’s medium and longer term development efforts. Selected outcomes include:Physical Investments in Education, Health, Water Resource Management, Infrastructure, and Telecommunications: (i) the construction of 76 new schools, and rehabilitation of 133 schools (October 2012); (ii) establishment of a comprehensive, computerized, coordinated emergency response system for the three governorates of Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, and Dohuk (with call centers servicing a new three digit citizen access/emergency number); and the training of two hundred and forty eight paramedical personnel, 20 senior physicians and 200 ambulance drivers (July 2012); (iii) provision in the Marshlands Area of regular training to 689 medical professionals and an additional 64 Mother and Child Health (MCH) specialists working in the Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs), tuberculosis (TB) clinics and mobile clinics each month; financing of three mobile clinics providing an average of 1,837 medical consultations monthly; financing of four fully operational TB clinics; and provision of 600 home health education visits by Women Health Volunteers to an average of 23,770 families per month; (iv) provision of improved drinking water to over 600,000 people, treatment of 60,000 cubic meters of water daily, rehabilitation of over 400 km of water networks and transmission pipes and around 90 km of sewers and house connections, and training of over 3,000 staff in water resources management and planning, and rehabilitation of two water treatment plants serving about 300,000 people (completed December 2012); (v) repair of the Dokan and Derbandikan hydropower plants (December 2012) thereby increasing generation capacity from 65% and 60% to 68.5% and 78.5% respectively and laying the ground for the upcoming full rehabilitation of these power plants ; (vi) installation of the telecommunications backbone, operational at 56 sites; and the inter-banking network, which connects the Central Bank of Iraq and commercial banks with high capacity telecommunications capabilities (operational in 29 sites); (vii) improvement of 118,000 hectares of agricultural land , resulting in measurable improvements in wheat yields under the Community Infrastructure Rehabilitation project with communities reporting better social cohesion due to local collaboration and shared ownership of completed works(December 2012); (viii) progress ramping up to restore original capacity of Hartha Power Station Units 2 and 3 to 400 MW by June 2014; and (ix) 112.5 km of non-rural roads rehabilitated and 103.5 km of rural roads rehabilitated as of February 2012. Monthly AverageConsultations for disease35,896Child care consultations8,454Maternal care consultations5,577Deliveries630Vaccinations for pregnant women and children7,040Dental consultations2,238Total Medical Constultations59,471Innovative Service Delivery The pilot consultative service delivery program, in Kurdistan, currently in its second phase, and which focuses on empowering communities to implement projects (mostly small-scale infrastructure provision and equipment purchases in 26 under-served communities) had by the end of2012 registered the following results:Erbil Governorate: 29,355 beneficiaries (includes: water network renovation, secondary road construction, ambulance provision for health center; school rooms and equipment provided, including for kindergartens)Slemania & Garmyian Governorate/Admin. Entity: 87,830 beneficiaries (includes: secondary road construction; construction of basic sewerage system, creation of small parks; water well; youth center and sports field; funeral hall)Dohuk Governorate: 51,661 beneficiaries (includes: renovation of sidewalk for main market area; provision of copying equipment for schools; youth center and sports field; secondary roads construction; secondary road construction/rehabilitation.)Under the Second Emergency Assistance Program for Primary Health Care in the Marshlands, 92 health care professionals in the 23 project Primary Health Care Clinics have continued to provide health care with the following approximate number of consultations in 2012:Technical Assistance and Institutional Strengthening: Outcomes of World Bank technical assistance and institution building support include: (i) the Integrated Energy Strategy, and Education Strategy(2012); (ii) the organization of 73 workshops reaching about 1,680 participants from various private and public sector entities (2006-2012); (iii) from 2009-2012 the development of the institutional system for the newly established State Pension Fund, and of key functions, regulations, and strategies in the areas of public communications, physical infrastructure, investment management and actuarial analysis; (iv) deployment by the end of2012 of the Social Safety Net (SSN) Information System in Baghdad and to all governorates, allowing for the processing of beneficiary payments using a central data base resulting in savings of over US$18 million to the SSN budget through identification of duplicate and ghost beneficiaries; (v) strengthening over the past three years of the capacity of the Ministry of Environment in policy formulation, environmental regulation and enforcement, environmental quality monitoring, and in raising environmental awareness, particularly among school children; development since 2011 of a master plan for municipal solid waste for Baghdad and an action plan for health care waste management; with installation of air quality monitoring stations in major cities; and (vi) support through the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Trust Fund to strengthen Iraq’s capacity to execute the Iraq EITI, including the production of five consecutive yearly oil, gas and mining revenues reconciliation and reports, starting with year 2009. Iraq became the first EITI member to become fully validated and compliant on the basis of its first report (reconciling US$41.25 billion in oil revenues) fully funded by the Multi-Donor Trust Fund. ESW and AAA: Through ESW and AAA, the Bank has supported (i) the recent 2012 Iraq Public Expenditure Review which has yielded interesting findings on the shortcomings of public investment management, budget planning and execution, and fiscal policy, and made recommendations for future actions the Bank could support under the new CPS; and (ii) the Iraq Country Economic Memorandum, currently being finalized, that has framed Iraq's economic policy challenges around the need to ensure that the non-oil economy is not overwhelmed by the rapid development and associated revenue stream from the oil sector, and proposed some ways to mitigate these risks, including the creation of a transitional saving fund and various ideas to promote economic diversification. International Development Association (DIA) ResultsThird Emergency Education Project: As of March 2013, 5760 additional seats available resulting from 10 newly built schools to reduce overcrowding. An additional 26 schools are scheduled for completion by December, 2013.Electricity Reconstruction Project: Increased capacity of government on project and contract management for power generation projects. Increased overall capacity within the Ministry of Electricity to manage the development of large scale generation and transmission systems. Progress ramping up to restore original capacity of Hartha Power Station Units 2 and 3 to 400 MW by June 2014 once reconstruction of the power station is complete. This will increase current installed capacity within Iraq by around 5 percent..Dokan and Derbandikhan Hydropower Project: Following essential repairs, increase in generation capacity of Derbandikan plant from 60% to 78.5% as of March 2013 and of Dokan plant from 65% to 68.5%;training of 84 staff for operational and maintenance works in both HPPs; Studies for the subsequent rehabilitation of both Hydropower Plants completed; a new training plan is being prepared for the staff of both plants and Ministry of Energy officials working on procurement, financial management, contract management, and environmental and social risks management.Road Reconstruction Project: 112.5 km of non-rural roads rehabilitated and103.5 km of rural roads rehabilitated as of February 2012.Bank Group ContributionThe World Bank’s current portfolio for Iraq consists of 22 projects valued at US$854 million funded by the Iraq Trust Fund (a multi-donor trust fund for reconstruction support) and concessional assistance from IDA. Nearly all Iraq projects are implemented by Iraqi governmental authorities, with implementation support from the World Bank. This helps build capacity and increase local ownership and sustainability. Four programs (Private Sector Development TA; Consultative Service Delivery; Youth Livelihood Development; and EITI Implementation Support), are funded respectively by grants from the following: World Bank; Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA); Japan Social Development Fund; and the EITI Multi-donor Trust Fund.The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has a total committed portfolio of US$347 million in 7 companies in Iraq as of the end of February 2013. In addition, IFC’s donor financed Iraq Business Assistance Facility (IBAF) is providing Advisory Services to support Iraq’s economic and social development and stimulate private sector led growth. The IBAF is providing Advisory Services in the areas of capacity building, training, support to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), investment climate reforms, corporate governance, and public private partnerships, among others. Iraq joined the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) in 2008. Since then, MIGA has signed one project in the manufacturing sector for a gross exposure of US$2.5 million as of the end of February 2013. Private investors have continued to show interest in partnering with MIGA for investments in Iraq.PartnersSeventeen donors have contributed to the World Bank-administered Iraq Trust Fund. The Bank has also been cooperating closely with other donors in the implementation of its programs. The key donors, in terms of volume of financial transfers, are the United States, Japan, the World Bank, the European Union, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). There has been close coordination and consultation with United States Agency for International Development and the European Union on financial management reform and with the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and Sida on the reform of the private sector. The Bank and the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) have been exploring co-financing possibilities in the water sector and the Islamic Development Bank has expressed interest in co-financing the forthcoming transport corridor and trade project. Donors work together through the Iraq Partnership Forum, which meets monthly to coordinate and harmonize development assistance to Iraq. The government of Iraq is taking an increasing role in improving alignment, harmonization and coordination among the different donors supporting Iraq.Moving Forward Going forward, Iraq faces the challenge of improving security, restoring the rule of law and strengthening public sector governance which in turn will enable much-needed private sector development. With a combination of lending and technical assistance, the World Bank will support the development of prudent management and a robust policy environment, so that Iraq’s abundant natural and human resource base can be a source of economic and social revival. Catalytic investments financed by the Bank , AAA,IFC advisory and investment engagement, MIGA guarantees , and reimbursable services will be the main building blocks of the Iraq Country Partnership Strategy. Show Less -

ChallengeBy the early 2000s, because of the depletion of its oil reserves and fast-growing domestic demand, Tunisia had become a net importer of energy. The rate of energy consumption, at 0.4 tons of oil... Show More + equivalent per US$ 1,000 of gross domestic product, was also higher than both Europe and many of its neighbors. At the same time, Tunisia’s industrial sector was under increasing competitive pressure from Asia and its low cost exports. A successful project to encourage solar water heaters (managed by the World Bank and financed by the GEF) raised the possibility of applying similar energy conservation strategies in the industrial sector. More efficient use of energy would help companies lower their production costs, making them more competitive, and protect the environment by lowering emissions. The critical challenge was providing the right conditions and financial incentives to encourage investments in energy efficiency.SolutionIn 2004, the government launched the Energy Efficiency Program in the Industrial Sector (Programme Efficacité Energétique dans le Secteur Industriel.) In support of the program, a project, managed by the World Bank and financed by the GEF, arranged to help foster the development of a sustainable market for energy efficiency products. In addition to the removal of institutional and capacity related barriers, its aim was to establish energy service companies (ESCOs) as the main vehicle for guaranteeing a sustainable energy efficiency market. By the end of the program to promote solar water heaters, conversations were underway on a follow-up project focused on the industrial sector. With clarity on the objectives and how to reach them, a project was designed with three interrelated components: the GEF Pilot Phase for Energy Efficiency aimed at promoting energy efficiency measures through an output-based subsidy, to be paid once measures are implemented; the GEF Partial Guarantee Fund to promote the use of energy service companies (ESCOs) by offering loan guarantees to companies that contract with ESCOs (up to a maximum of US$200,000); and the GEF Technical Assistance component aimed at reinforcing and expanding the technical capacities of key stakeholders to manage energy efficiency investments.ResultsThrough the support of the GEF, the project achieved the following results:Investment assistance encouraged energy efficiency actions by medium-sized and large enterprises through ESCOs. The sub-projects supported by this component resulted in 710,333 tons of CO2 emissions avoided over the duration of the project, from 2004 to 2011, and 101,476 tons of CO2 emissions avoided annually (compared to the target of 636,422 tons for the entire project and 127,284 tons of CO2 annually). The sub-projects also contributed to quantified, that is actual, energy savings of at least 31 kilotons of oil equivalent per year (ktoe per year) and are expected to generate 51 ktoe per year of energy savings going forward (compared to the target of actual energy savings of at least 10 ktoe per year, and expected future savings of 33 ktoe per year). Implementation of a partial credit guarantee fund helped facilitate project financing. Ten ESCOs were licensed with the National Energy Management Agency (Agence Nationale pour la Maitrise de l’Energie – ANME.) Four were fully operational during the project, and with the support of credit guarantees, 30 contracts were signed with industrial companies. At the time the project closed, 37 percent of all energy efficiency projects in the industrial sector were using th Partial Guarantee Facility.Technical assistance and training was provided for stakeholders (public institutions, industries, financial institutions, energy service providers, ESCOs, and so on). A National Program of Energy Efficiency has been developed and a dedicated Energy Efficiency Fund, the FNME, has been put in place. The program provided critical resources for raising awareness, enhancing technical skills and empowering market operators, for example ESCOs and industrial companies, to invest in energy efficiency projects. Bank Group ContributionThe World Bank provided technical assistance and managed the overall project, with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) providing US$8.5 million in financing.PartnersThe total cost of the project was US$31.8 million. In addition to the GEF funding, local private sector sources provided US$18.4 million, while an additional US$5.0 million was financed from public funds.Moving Forward A key question at the close of the project concerned the durability of the financial intermediation mechanisms as a critical guarantee of a sustainable pipeline of future energy efficiency projects in the industrial sector. Through the current Energy Efficiency Project (approved June 2009), the country is leveraging the Bank Group’s experience from previous lending and grant projects in Tunisia, as well as analytical activities that will identify measures needed to overcome barriers to energy efficiency investment. The project aim is to scale up industrial energy efficiency and cogeneration investments, and thereby contribute to the government's new four-year energy conservation program.Beneficiaries Direct beneficiaries were industrial companies, engineering consultants, the newly created ESCOs and financial institutions (banks, leasing companies). During implementation, all stakeholders were directly or indirectly involved in the project. Lowering emissions benefitted the health of all Tunisians. Show Less -

ChallengeMorocco’s municipal solid waste services had historically been defined only in terms of “cleanliness,” with limited attention and resource allocation to waste disposal. This situation had led... Show More + to significant negative economic, environmental and social impacts and the solid waste sector faced issues on virtually all fronts. The cost of the environmental degradation due to solid waste was estimated at 0.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2003 (among the highest in the Middle East, North Africa region).The legal and institutional framework was weak and financial sustainability was doubtful. There was an urgent need for integrated and modernized sector management systems. In addition, the sector was missing out on opportunities available under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to support the global effort in climate change mitigation. To tackle the problems, the government initiated the reform of the sector with the enactment, in 2006, of the first Solid Waste Law. The government also approved a 15-year, 3-phase national municipal solid waste management program (PNDM) in 2007, but the challenge was to get the program effectively up and running. SolutionStarting in 2003, the Bank’s sector dialogue focused on accompanying the government in developing a sound analytical basis for sector interventions, examining social, environmental, and financial aspects and the potential for private sector participation. Based on this knowledge and fruitful sector dialogue, a flexible programmatic series of two development policy loans (DPLs) was developed and approved in 2009 to support the first phase of the PNDM and contribute to incentivize municipalities to modernize solid waste management services. It was the first experience ever for the World Bank in using the development policy lending instrument in the solid waste sector. Results The DPL program has accompanied a transformation of the solid waste sector in Morocco, progressing from a concept of cleanliness in the cities to broader social, environmental and economic sustainability considerations. The Bank-supported program (2009-2011) contributed to substantiating the sector policy and providing the necessary regulatory framework for establishing the foundations for integrated and affordable municipal solid waste management systems. Tangible results include:Establishment of the National Commission of Solid Waste Management, which now provides well-ingrained and effective coordination of sector policies and government actions within the 15-year national solid waste program.An effective result-oriented incentive mechanism allocating national financial resources to support municipalities. Professional collection services benefit about 12 million people, or 66 percent of the urban population in 2011, against less than 40 percent before the PNDM. Collected waste disposed in sanitary landfills increased from a low of 10 percent in 2008 to 32 percent in 2011; closing or rehabilitation of 21 open dumpsites.Increase in the municipal service tax, from MAD 1.4 million in 2008 to 2.6 million in 2011.Adherence to sound technical and environmental regulations in the tendering process, and approval of 25 Environmental Impact Assessments. Piloting social inclusion activities for 154 waste pickers, ready to roll out results to benefit 20,000 people. Development of a carbon finance program under the CDM with a potential to generate revenue from 6 million tons of CO2 equivalent by 2020.Bank Group ContributionThe program consisted of two single-tranche DPL loans made by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) totaling US$271.3 million. The first loan of US$132.7 million was approved in March 2009. The second loan of US$138.6 was approved in December 2010.PartnersThe project design was coordinated with other donor’s support to capacity building activities (especially the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the German development bank (KfW) in SWM and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in broader aspects of municipal finances). The Bank worked very closely with GIZ, which has confirmed the continuation of contributions to the SWM sector until at least 2015, and hence a continued strong cooperation.Moving Forward An important factor in the success of the DPL program was the dialogue between the Bank and the Moroccan authorities, the articulation of the main pillars of the reform (institutional and financial framework), support for local authorities in terms of finances and capacity building, and advocacy/communication around the program. These actions will continue through the third operation with a clearer focus on social aspects as part of a pillar focusing on the development of recycling and the professionalization of SWM in line with the advancing regionalization. Beneficiaries A key benefit to the Government of Morocco has been the institutional change which was an integral part of the DPL program. In terms of social benefits, the modernization of the Municipal Solid Waste collection services was implemented mostly through private sector participation, and today benefits about 66 percent of the urban population. Private sector contracts are based on common standards for service delivery (quality and coverage) and, as a result, poor communities previously un-served and/or suffering from low quality services now have equal access to decent MSW collection services. Show Less -

ChallengeEgypt has a rapidly expanding economy that needs a reliable and low-cost source of electric power. The rate of growth of electricity demand in Egypt has exceeded 6.5 percent per year over the... Show More + past 10 years and is expected to remain in the 6-7 percent range over the next 10 years. In 2002, about 95 percent of the population was served by the electricity grid in Egypt, compared to 91 percent in the region. Of a total demand of 83 terawatt hours (TWh) on the interconnected electricity generating system, 78 percent was met by thermal plants, of which 90 percent operate on natural gas and 10 percent on heavy oil, while 19 percent of total demand was met by large hydro (principally the High Dam and Aswan 1&2), and electricity from independent power producers (IPPs), including 3 percent of this amount from wind.SolutionThe objective of the project was to increase the share of solar-based electricity in the Egyptian energy generation mix, thereby contributing to the government’s objective of diversifying electric power production. The global development objective of the project was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic sources by increasing the market share of low greenhouse-gas emitting technologies. The Bank was also aware that the project would be useful in demonstrating the operational viability of hybrid solar thermal power generation technology in Egypt and elsewhere. In fact, the project was one of several similar ones launched around the world with the support of the GEF, and other financing sources. It was part of a global effort to accelerate cost reduction and commercial adoption of large-scale, low greenhouse-gas emitting generation technologies through demonstration, learning and dissemination. Secondarily, the project aimed to make a modest direct contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. ResultsThe construction of the Kureimat Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC) power plant started in January 2008 and reached commercial operation as a whole at the end of June 2011. The project achieved its development objective of increasing the share of solar-based electricity generation (20 megawatt (MW)) in Egypt and contributed to the government’s objective of diversifying electric power production. Although the contribution of this project to the total solar generation capacity in Egypt is small, it demonstrated a new technology with prospects for scale-up and diversifying the energy mix, which at the moment is very expensive, but has the potential to be competitive once large markets tap into the technology. Egypt has the potential to create an industry cluster of local manufacturing of the technology. Through the dissemination of the lessons learned from this project, it is also expected to meet its global development objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic sources by increasing the market share of low greenhouse-gas emitting technologies. The implementation of the Kureimat ISCC project has helped bring greater awareness of this technology in Egypt and the region. Beyond the region, there has also been keen global interest in this plant with Egypt hosting South-South exchanges of knowledge on its construction and operation. The project succeeded in meeting the following key performance indicators:Total electricity generated from solar sources 35.1gigawatt hours (GWh)/year, targeted value was 33.4 GWh (based on limited data)Solar output as a percentage of total energy produced in the hybrid plant was 4.1 percent.Bank Group ContributionThe World Bank provided technical assistance and managed the overall project, with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) providing US$49.8 million in grant financing. PartnersThe original co-financier was the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), but as a result of mergers in 2008, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) took over the role. In addition, the Bank has engaged a broad range of stakeholders, including academia, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector during dissemination events to share experiences from the Kureimat project. There is also continued engagement with stakeholders to receive ongoing feedback on the future development of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) in Egypt and in the region as part of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) CSP Scale-up Initiative.Moving Forward In part due to the experience gained in the implementation of this project, the government is preparing its next CSP project at Kom Ombo, Upper Egypt at a scale of 100 MW. This proposed project will also receive support under the MENA CSP Scale-up Initiative. The MENA CSP Scale-up Initiative is a US$5.6 billion program (including US$750 million of concessional funding from the Clean Technology Fund) led by the World Bank Group, working closely with the African Development Bank and other European, Arab, Islamic, and Japanese donors, to implement nine commercial-scale power plants (in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia), and two European Union (EU)-MENA interconnection projects. Beneficiaries The main beneficiaries of this project were the Government of Egypt (GoE) and New and Renewable Energy Agency (NREA), as well as the people of Egypt. Show Less -